Small Business depends on Recycling Centers

There are too many folks out there who will not acknowledge the role recycling centers play in the urban waste landscape. It is the state of California that mandates the “convenience zone”. The ZONE is a half mile area located near a supermarket required to have recycling available. In order to avoid having a recycling buyback in the market, there must be a recycling center nearby or a fee of $100/day must be paid. If our recycling center is closed numerous small Ma and Pa businesses along with the Whole Foods and Andronico’s will be forced to take recycling back at their store or have to pay $52,000/year.

Is it really preferable to conduct buyback recycling in the Andronico’s check-out lane? How long will the lines at Whole Foods be when Joe Homeless brings in his cart full of buyback materials? Is the neighbor who hates homeless recyclers going to be more friendly waiting behind them in line at all the local markets? How about a solution that actually works for the people who have to participate in this system? Why not use the recycling center as a partner in fighting recycling crime-they are on the front line, after all.

Today’s video concentrates on explaining how the state mandated system works for small businesses and why it is not a good idea to close down a recycling center like ours until these issues can be addressed. In fact, while it may be fashionable to blame our little recycling center for theft, theft of recycling is problem that exists citywide, not only in this area. If this center closes, recycling will still be mandated to be available in this area and people will continue to do what they do now. Anyone who says different is not telling the truth.

Learn more about the “convenience zone” by clicking the link to the Cal Recycle page below.